     Barbie Perkins Cooper | Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 12:36 pm 
Okay, Guys...be gentle to me. I do not proclaim to be a novelist. Non fiction and screenplays, I could teach. Fiction -- let's just say, it is a horse of a different color.
I know, a horrid pun but:
What is the general rule for chapter length?
I've written 9 -- YES -- NINE pages today of Chattahoochee Child, since 4am. One chapter is only five pages long.
Is that too short???
Is twenty pages too long????
Is there a formula?
I am on cloud 2000 today while I write.
Oops...back to writing!
Suggestions about chapter length? Comments???
Today is one of the best writing days I've had since... |
| Kevin P. Grover | Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 01:06 pm
Chapter length is a discretional thing. It really depends on how you write the story and how you want it to flow.
I have written chapters which are only 3 pages, but by the time I go back and "flesh them out", they end up being about 12 pages.
I suggest that you read (or at least browsed through) a book titled "Star Trek: The Next Generation: Vendetta". There are chapters in there which are only 2/3 of a page long.
Basically, it boils down to what you feel is right for the story. If you want a minor scene change, drop a short paragraph. It's all up to you.
Probably wasn't much help, but it's the best I can do. |
| Vickie Adkins | Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 02:40 pm
Barbie,
I agree with Kevin. I think it's entirely up to the author. Changing chapters is a convenient way to achieve a different POV if it's awkward to just skip a few lines.
Also, the size of the book would determine the length of the chapters. A small paper back might be 14-17 pages per chapter, but formatted into a larger, hard-back could be 8-10. I remember reading a book a while back where the author had long, long, chapters, and then she had a couple that were only 4 or 5 pages. I liked her style. I remember admiring her that she didn't get in a rut!
Best,
Vickie |
| Dennis Collins | Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 06:23 pm
Chapter length... Interesting question...
That very subject was the main topic of a panel discussion at a writer's conference this spring. The panel was made up of William Kent Kreuger, Jay Bonansinga, and Loren Estleman, three genuine heavyweights in the fiction arena.
I was relieved to hear them agree that the content will dictate the length. While the average seems to fall in at somewhere between 7 and 12 pages, having a one page chapter is not unusual when you need to make a dramatic statement.
I personally lean toward short 5-8 page chapters. I feel that it paces the book better.
Another point was, how should a chapter end? Do you want set the reader down lightly or leave him/her craving the next stanza? |
| Gloria Marlow | Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 06:24 pm
My best friend's husband laughed himself silly because my book had like fifty chapters in it and it is only 188 pages long. So that averages out to about four pages per chapter, give or take a few. Anyway, I just ended them when the action was changing and it was a pretty rapidly moving book. For his enjoyment, I tried to lengthen them a little in my second book. 
Gloria |
| Gloria Marlow | Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 06:27 pm
Now that I read Dennis's post, I think maybe it depends on the type of book it is. For instance, mysteries may need shorter chapters to keep the reader interested. In romances or other genres, however, it may be that you can have longer chapters, because the book doesn't have to be as fast paced. |
| Kevin P. Grover | Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 08:09 pm
When I wrote Strike Hard and Strike Swiftly, I leaned heavily toward attempting to force the reader to want to turn the page and start the next chapter. To me it made it more suspenseful and intriguing.
However, with the next one I'm working on, it doesn't work. Perhaps only for suspense/thriller types. |
| righterpenny | Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 08:30 pm
I try to make all my chapters about the same length. I know that when I read a book, I kinda anticipate when the chapter might be ending. It's kind of a goal to keep reading until the end of the chapter before I take a break. |
| LaurieAnne | Sunday, June 02, 2002 - 12:40 am
Gloria,
Only 50? James Patterson numbers in the 100's on chapters. Some chapters are only a few paragraphs.
Instead of doing the *** to separate POV's, he starts a new chapter. Some are short, some are 30 pages.
Content dictates, Barbie.
LA |
| C. E. Winterland | Sunday, June 02, 2002 - 10:02 am
This is an interesting topic  I didn't want to post until I'd read what y'all thought, cuz I wasn't sure of the answer myself. I let the content dictate the chapters too. Mine usually range between 10 and 20 pages or so (though I've had a few 50 page woppers, that usually get wittled down).
The question of how to end a chapter is also very interesting... The way Awareness is shaping up this time around is that about every 3rd or 4th chapter ends cleanly, and those in between make you want to turn the page...
For example, I have a chapter that ends like this:
Oh no!
Now... you're turning that page.
At one of the seminars I attended, the discussion was about foreshadowing and how the start of the book should give the reader a little hint to tuck away into the back of their minds that will resurface at the end. The other part of that seminar was how to make a page turner. Chapter endings was part of it, and ending your chapter (regardless of genre) on a note where you've got to see what's around that corner, got to see what happens to the hero... makes the book go faster (and also keeps readers like me up WAY past their bedtime). But, I tend to think that doing on every chapter can be tedious, and start to become apparent to the reader if too overt. So I sprinkle them in.
Back to the original topic though, I too have seen chapters that are only a paragraph or two... just FYI.
CEW |
| laurelj | Sunday, June 02, 2002 - 10:09 am
Foreshadowing eh. I hadn't heard of that but did a good job of "foreshadowing" with the one page intro to Snowbird Dying then.
I have nothing to add to the chapter length question. Mine cover a certain subject or timeframe, then end when I think they should. I am certainly no expert.
LaurelJ |
| Nancy Marie | Sunday, June 02, 2002 - 07:09 pm
Interesting, in my fiction novels, I try to end every chapter with a cliff-hanger, i.e. something that will make the reader turn that page. I think I succeeded. However, in my one and only non-fiction book, I ended every chapter when the subject of that chapter was finished, i.e. I had made my point.
So, I dunno about chapter length, I try to average 20 pages give or take a few per chapter, just cause that seemed like a good round number to me. Uh, can we say draw a numer out of the hat!
smiles and blessings, Kitty |
